Disclaimer: The world and characters here are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter in particular, draws heavily upon events in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone.

“I don't know why you won't let me take our daughter and go to Spinner's End. Between us we could give her as good an education as Hogwarts.”

Emily had come home just in time to treat a bad dog bite on her husband's ankle.

“Now, Emily, you're over reacting, just like dozens of other mothers who are no doubt sending letters to Dumbledore every day.”

“First a mountain troll roaming the halls...”

“Hope was perfectly safe with her house mates. No one was hurt, unless you're worried on the troll's behalf,” snapped her husband.

“And now there's a three headed dog on the third floor.”

“Margo Snape would never disobey authority and go up there.”

“Other students have!”

“Gryffindors, Emily, Gryffindors, and we don't even know for sure they were in there. Argus didn't actually see them. Our daughter knows better than to be so foolhardy.” He watched as his wife cleaned the wound. “Have a care, Healer Snape, that you don't do more harm than good,” he said, watching her twitching fingers apprehensively.

Emily took a deep breath to steady herself and then took out her wand and cast a spell over the ankle, which started to knit as she watched carefully. The spell had a calming effect on her as well as the healing effect it had on her husband. She applied a salve to finish the healing and then bandaged it.

“I'm just so worried about the two of you. The school is so different this year. There's a hostile atmosphere, and I can't be in the same room with Quirinus without wanting to run away screaming. What is it about him?”

“I don't know, but I think Albus has noticed something, too,” answered Severus with a tired sigh. “I'm supposed to keep an eye on Quirrell, which is how this happened. He isn't supposed to be up there any more than the students are.”

“Did you tell him that I think the Dark Lord is somehow involved?”

“He doesn't disagree. With Nicolas's trinket here, Hogwarts is an obvious target for his attention. Look at that.” He flexed his foot. “Good as new. I have the best personal Healer in England.” He scooped her into his lap and pulled her close. “When is the last time we shared our bed?”

“Between my shifts and all of the extra patrolling you have been doing? It's hard to say.”

“Well then,” he said, thinking the rest of the sentence should be obvious.

“Do you have time? Don't you need to guard someone or something tonight?” she asked acerbically.

He kissed her nose. “Don't be waspish. My Emily is never waspish. And for your information, I begged off, tonight, on the grounds that my wife is due for some serious shagging.”

She twisted around to look at him better. "You never said that!”

“Sweet torture! Have a care where you are sitting, dear. No, I didn't say that. I just said that I needed the night off. I've arranged for dinner in our sitting room and all the rest is just desperate wanting, Emily.” He buried his head in her neck. “I want to make love to you. I want to relearn everything about you that I may have forgotten these past weeks. I want--”

She cut him off with her lips, kissing him ardently. “You know you haven't forgotten a single thing. It's all exactly as you last left it.” She kissed him again. “So, what were your plans for me, dinner and then ravishment, or ravishment then dinner?”

“I was going to see how it went. Are you really here, soft and yielding in my arms?” His lips and fingers were acting independently of his thoughts.

“More like willing and eager. Take me to bed, Severus?”

He wasn't waiting to be asked twice. He stood with his wife in his arms and retired to the bedroom. They found to their mutual delight that everything was indeed just as it had been the last time they were together.

---

Emily yawned as they went up the stairs into the Quidditch stands. “Eleven in the morning wouldn't be so early if you had let me get a few minutes of sleep last night.”

“Hush, dear, I have a reputation to uphold. I'm sure you will have plenty of time to rest during the remainder of the weekend.” He pressed her hand meaningfully. She giggled and they worked their way into the section of the stands where the faculty regularly sat.

The game would have been pretty uneventful at the beginning if it were not Gryffindor versus Slytherin, which was always an event for Severus. Emily watched her husband and smiled at his intense gaze. He took in every action. He could see every time the Quaffle was passed, every time the beaters hit a Bludger.

It was chilly day, but good Quidditch weather. It wasn't raining and there wasn't much wind. The temperature warmed up enough to enjoy the game. Emily's only problem was that Professor Quirrell sat in front of them, and his turban seemed to take on human properties. Sometimes Emily thought that she saw two red lights like eyes between the fabric bands that wrapped the professor's head. There was a moment when she had a sensation of fingers moving along her body. She shook it off and held her husband's hand tighter.

Part way through the game, Severus took his hand from hers and put it in his pocket. Emily realized that he had gone all stiff. He was chanting an incantation and watching one particular player. She understood that he was holding his wand in his pocket. She looked at the sky above her as all of the spectators started gasping and groaning. Harry Potter had completely lost control over his broomstick. She realized that Severus was saying a counter-spell to a hex that must be coming from somewhere else in the stands.

This went on for quite some while, when suddenly Professor Quirrell fell over, having been pushed as a couple of students ran down the stairs. Severus kept his eyes on Potter while Emily went to help the professor, who stuttered his thanks and held Emily's hands a bit longer than she would have liked. When she turned back to her husband, she saw that his robe was on fire.

“Severus! Your robe!” She went back up the stairs to help him put it out. There was a roar from the crowd and it seemed that Harry Potter had regained control of his broom and the Golden Snitch was nowhere to be seen. By the time Emily turned to see what was going on with the game, Potter looked almost as if he were ready to vomit. Then he opened his mouth and pulled out the Snitch. The Gryffindor portion of the crowd exploded while the Slytherins groaned and quietly started to file out of the stands.